Friday, April 01, 2005  2:00 PM
reflections.
Happy April Fools'! It suddenly struck me that as we grow older, this unofficial worldwide practical joke day is becoming less and less significant. I remember just a few years back in secondary school, how everyone got involved in just making the day a more entertaining one, and we switched classes to trick our teachers, only to find out that our teachers had done the same thing to us too! It was hilarious, and I miss those days, just thinking about it brings back a sense of nostalgia. I went back to my secondary school yesterday to visit some teachers, and had the famous meepok (which is, for the hokkien illiterate, basically noodles with fishballs and other good stuff) and I almost drooled in joy. It was simply delicious, and despite having eaten the same meepok for ten years of my schooling life at SCGS, it still tastes ever so good. Just seeing the girls in their uniform milling around, and their noisy chatter and cheerful laughter, I wish I was back in school once again.
Well, back from Hong Kong, and it is back to reality once again, which stinks. It is amazing to think that just three and a half hours away, and the weather could be so perfect, and here we are, suffering in the hot tropical weather. I think this trip brought April, Ling, Sarah and I closer yet again, and it was indeed refreshing. The last two years in junior college, we barely had time to meet up, and a break from work and just five solid days with my best friends really strengthened our bonds. It reminded me yet again of how much I love hanging out with them, and when we get really silly, we can laugh for hours. And that was basically what happened every night when we were back at the hotel. It didn't help that the doors and the walls were pretty thin either, so I can hardly imagine how the rest of the patrons at the hotel managed to sleep with us laughing and gabbering till 2am in the morning.
On the third day, we headed down to Ladies Market in Mong Kok, which was just a ten minute walk from our hotel, and while Sarah and I breezed through it in about half an hour, Ling and April spent about five hours there. How they did it, I have absolutely no clue. The shops basically sold almost the same stuff, so Rah and I got bored and we took the MTR back down to Tsim Sha Tsui instead, where we continued where we had left off on the first day. We met back at the hotel in the evening, and dressed up to the nines (it was as if we were preparing for prom!) and made our way down to Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong's hottest night spot. There we were, looking all dressy and classy, and having to step on the MTR, practically everyone was staring at us! But it was really fun, Lan Kwai Fong is one of my favourite places to be. It looks extremely London-ish, with the pubs all lined up in neat rows and music blasting out from different directions, and not to mention that the place was crammed with white people. And after much deliberation, we entered this pub called twentyone twentyone on D'Aguilar Street, which had the most beautiful decor from the outside and it looked really modern with the colourful lighted bottles at the bar, and the dim lighting only lighted by candles on the small bar tables. It wasn't too smoky as well, because the huge French windows were swung open to let the cool breeze in. After placing our orders, we spent basically all our time taking photos of ourselves. Lol, that sounds a little narcissistic, but it was all in good fun.
Day Four was spent in Ocean Park, the largest theme park in Hong Kong! And I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself because the only ride I didn't dare go on was the twenty-storey "beyond freefall" drop called the Abyss. Other than that, I went on two rollercoasters, one with about a million steep drops overlooking the sea, and another with three terrifying loops. But I lived, and it was actually pretty fun when you think back. I couldn't stop screaming though, and my friends had fun laughing at me and teasing me for being such a 'fraidy cat. Besides that, we also went on the Viking and a flume ride (which was seriously pathetic). The highlight of the day was this super cute, gorgeous guy that was working at the basketball booth at Ocean Park. I couldn't stop gawking, he was so good looking and he had the most charming smile that made my insides melt. His name's Goki, and when we approached the booth, contemplating whether to play or not, he stood there patiently and flashed one of those amazing smiles when we declined. Sarah and I, especially, went nuts. We pretended to have April pose there, but surreptitiously we were taking pictures of Goki in the background. And honestly, I think he knew, cos he was secretly smiling to himself. AHHH. I'm having Goki withdrawal symptons.
Our last night was spent dining at "The Spaghetti House", a really nice place with excellent pasta. Then we went shoe shopping just outside our hotel at Yau Ma Tei, and got some excellent buys. I bought two pairs of pointy heels for about $35, which was a steal! After that, we headed back to pack and then talked our very last night away.
And as all holidays have to come to an end, our last day was spent searching for the best food to bring back home. Went back to Yung Kee at Lan Kwai Fong, and bought roast goose, which is heavenly, by the way. Ohhhh. Down the street was Hai Cheung Bakery, which is apparently extremely famous for its pastries, and we spent about half an hour there cos they kept coming out with new stuff for us to try. We swept their entire collection of Laopo Bing and egg tarts clean, and also tried some of their other delicacies. It was seriously yummy! Bread Talk can't compare for shit. Last stop at Tsim Sha Tsui for some last minute shopping, and I got a really cool Puma bag! Headed down to the airport early to have a "The Spaghetti House" meal again, and then shopped around with all our money we had left (which was practically nothing). We all came back in debt!
And now, the four of us are REALLY broke. But Hong Kong was really really fun and memorable, and one of the best trips I've ever been on.
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